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The Packard Resurrection Project: The final countdown

1 of 7The engine was installed with the transmission attached. The bundle weighed just under 1,000 pounds.

Photo by Graham Kozak

2 of 7I felt nothing but relief when the engine clicked into its mounts. A sense of accomplishment came later.

Photo by Graham Kozak

3 of 7This dense, adhesive floor covering should cut down on interior noise and heat.

Photo by Graham Kozak

4 of 7I call this one "how I spent my summer."

Photo by Graham Kozak

5 of 7Hood and fender alignment was done using time-tested techniques and precision tools, including the heaviest rubber mallet I could find.

Photo by Graham Kozak

6 of 7With all of the car's sheet metal installed, its character began to emerge.

Photo by Graham Kozak

7 of 7It may look like a car, but there's still a ways to go before the engine comes to life.

Photo by Graham Kozak

The Packard Motor Car Co. produced just more than 100,000 fine automobiles in 1951. Assuming Packard's East Grand Boulevard plant operated nonstop, that comes out to about 274 cars per day--or nearly 12 cars an hour.

If my math is correct, then the past two days of work should have yielded 396 shiny new Packards. Instead, after 33 hours of nearly nonstop toil, I'm left with exactly zero functional vehicles.

Perhaps Henry Ford was on to something with the whole assembly line concept. Regardless, the Woodward Dream Cruise is a day away, and I still haven't fired up the engine.

Somehow, I knew that this last-minute scramble to prepare the car was as inevitable as the pathetic Europe reference in this article's title. That's not to say I haven't made any progress--the past week has been remarkably productive. Thanks to my trusty, oil-stained shop manual and the helpful enthusiasts at packardinfo.com, I've managed to cram a huge amount of work into a miniscule amount of time.

That's not so say I've always done things efficiently, or even properly. Last year, I pulled the massive Packard straight-eight engine and Ultramatic transmission out of the car as one unit. It was a nail-biter; drop the engine/transmission pair and I might as write off the entire project--or start looking into a Chevy small block conversion. Cast iron is as brittle as it is heavy.

I swore I'd never move the engine and transmission as a pair again. It was simply too risky.

Yet last Sunday I found myself bolting the engine and transmission back together on the floor of my garage. Without a shop-sized hydraulic lift, there was virtually no way to install the two separately. I had no choice but to reverse the nerve-wracking extraction process.

After a several-hour process that I imagine resembled labor (“On the count of three, push.” “It's almost there.” “Get the crowbar, I think I can wedge it.”), the engine was once again back on its mount. Because the transmission finally reconnected to the propeller shaft, I could remove the wood blocks from the wheels and let the parking mechanism hold the car in place. It was satisfying.

With the heart of the car in place, assembly went fairly quickly. The installation of sound-deadening material was time consuming but worthwhile. Less essential projects, such as painting the dash, have been put on hold until after the cruise.

Despite the obvious importance of the engine and transmission, the installation of the front fenders and hood marked a significant psychological turning point in the restoration process. Before the sheetmetal went on, I was working on a car. With those components in place I was working on my car.

But my car still doesn't run. Before I can even think about turning the motor over, I need to reinstall the dash, reconnect the wiring harness, flush the brake system, add fluids . . . the list goes on. It's daunting, but I've already accomplished more than I thought possible. A few more hours won't kill me.

The Woodward Dream Cruise is a celebration of Detroit's golden age and all things automotive, but the event as we know it today was born in 1995. As we prepare for the Woodward Dream Cruise, we'll be looking back at coverage from past years and keeping you up to date on the latest news. Whether you're looking for Dream Cruise photos, a bit of Woodward Dream Cruise history or recommended hotels and restaurants near Woodward, you'll find it all in Autoweek's Woodward Dream Cruise section.

Graham Kozak
- Graham Kozak drove a 1951 Packard 200 sedan in high school because he wanted something that would be easy to find in a parking lot. He thinks all the things they're doing with fuel injection and seatbelts these days are pretty nifty too.
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